David Leisner

David Leisner (born December 22, 1953) is a classical guitarist, composer, teacher at the Manhattan School of Music and one of the leading authorities on focal dystonia, due to being impaired by the injury for 12 years and recovering through methods that he developed and now teaches his students.

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Biography

David Leisner sprang onto the guitar scene with top prizes in the 1975 Toronto and 1981 Geneva International Guitar Competitions. As his performing career blossomed, Leisner suddenly became disabled by focal dystonia, interrupting his career for twelve years until he recovered on his own from methods that he developed from studying the physical aspects of playing the guitar. Since his comeback, he has completed major tours of Australia and New Zealand, as well as debuts and reappearances in Japan, the Philippines, Germany, Hungary, Switzerland, Austria, Denmark, Ireland, the UK, Italy, Czech Republic, Greece, Puerto Rico and Mexico. He has also performed with the Atlanta Symphony, and on concert series in such notable venues as Boston's Jordan Hall and Gardner Museum, the Cleveland Museum of Art, Spivey Hall in Atlanta, Royce Hall in Los Angeles, the Folly Theater in Kansas City, the St. Francis Auditorium in Santa Fe, and the Augustine Guitar Series in New York City.

Leisner's acclaimed CDs have included a range of music, including Bach, Villa-Lobos, Mertz and Schubert, contemporary composers and his own compositions. His recordings have drawn praise from musicians of all kinds and magazines worldwide.

As a composer, Leisner's works have been performed worldwide by such eminent artists as Sanford Sylvan, Paul Sperry, Robert Osborne, Juliana Gondek, Susan Narucki, D'Anna Fortunato, Warren Jones, Eugenia Zukerman, Benjamin Verdery, the Los Angeles Guitar Quartet, the Saturday Brass Quintet, the Eastman and Oberlin Percussion Ensembles. He has also received grants from the Aaron Copland Fund for Music, the American Music Center, the Alice M. Ditson Fund, the New England Foundation for the Arts, and Meet the Composer.

David Leisner is currently co-chairman of the guitar department at the Manhattan School of Music. He formerly taught at the New England Conservatory for 22 years. A graduate of Wesleyan University, he studied guitar with John Duarte, David Starobin and Angelo Gilardino and composition with Richard Winslow, Virgil Thomson, Charles Turner and David Del Tredici.

Research on Focal Dystonia

In the 1980s, David Leisner was disabled by focal dystonia, an injury that affected his right hand when playing guitar. He sought the advice of medical professionals from western medicine to acupuncturists, but no one could heal his hand. Although during this period he became an important and respected personality in the composition world, he was unable to keep away from the stage. He began performing music utilizing only a few of the fingers on his right hand, and performed difficult works that dazzled audiences, most unaware that he was injured. Eventually, through his own personal study of the physical motions of playing guitar, he healed himself completely and now teaches his discoveries to students in masterclasses and private lessons.

Musical Research

Leisner has repeatedly made important contributions to the classical guitar world through his research and historical discoveries. He has been responsible for reviving the music of Johann Kaspar Mertz (1806-1856), and he has recorded versions of the music of Heitor Villa-Lobos as displayed in its original manuscripts. Most recently, Leisner is championing the music of Wenzeslaus Matiegka (1773-1830), a 19th century composer that Leisner describes as the "Beethoven of the guitar."

References

External links

Discography

Solo Guitar:

Chamber Music:

Recordings of Leisner Compositions:

Compositions

Solo Guitar:

Voice and Guitar:

Orchestra

Chamber Music with Guitar

Chamber Music

Voice and Piano